


Tutorial

by Mimm



Category: The Breakfast Club (1985)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-12-01
Updated: 2003-12-01
Packaged: 2017-12-04 09:50:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/709392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mimm/pseuds/Mimm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Andrew's life after the detention.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tutorial

**Author's Note:**

  * For [inkandchocolate](https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkandchocolate/gifts).



> Written for the Yuletide 2003 Challenge.  
> Thanks to Dee for the beta.

It was Monday, and it had been sixteen days since the detention where Andrew had met Allison, Claire, Brian and Bender, and where they had become more or less friends, at least for that one day. Now Andrew was carrying his tray, looking at the pile of unidentifiable and most likely inedible substance in front of him. The only thing he would be touching was the can of coke. He sat down at the table where his friends were already sitting and waiting for him.

"Hey guys," he said.

"What's up, man?" came in response, and they continued from there. It was a casual lunch break on a casual Monday.

Or it had been that at least until Bender had suddenly appeared from around the corner. He was sitting in front of Andrew before Andrew could say anything. "Thank you," he said, taking the can from Andrew's tray, twisting and lifting the socket until the liquid splashed onto his fingers. Andrew told him to get the fuck away from his lunch, but Bender took a long swig and put the can back on the tray without so much as flinching. "Bye," Bender said, wiping his mouth dramatically against the back of his hand, and before Andrew or his friends could say anything, Bender was already gone.

Andrew tried to explain who Bender was, but found he couldn't. "Just some weirdo I met during detention a couple of weeks ago. A total jerk and a lost cause." His friends laughed and Andrew took a swig of his coke, hoping the feeling of betrayal would fade soon. "Fucking hypocrite," his conscience shouted at him. "Shut up," he said in reply, but it didn't work quite so well as he had been hoping for. He took another mouthful and started to listen to some joke his friend was telling. It was a lame one.

* * *

It was Tuesday, and Andrew was walking down the hall to his locker, alone. He saw Claire by the lockers, and decided to say hi. After all, being seen with Claire was not as bad as being seen with Brian or Bender. Or Allison. The lower class of the school system. He felt a tinge of guilt as his thoughts went to Allison. He had liked Allison a lot. He had been intrigued by her and her mysterious appearance and the way she never told exactly what was going on in her mind. He had thought they could make it work, despite their different backgrounds. But liking Allison had become the biggest problem. He didn't want to really hurt the girl by dumping her after a long, nasty argument, but he could see after a few days that they would eventually end up there if he didn't pull the break in time. Allison was nice and interesting, and fun to be with, but she was too strange for Andrew. Too intense. Unpredictable, and not in an adventurous, exciting way.

And so, last Friday when Andrew had met Allison and they had gone out, he had said that he really liked her but that he didn't have any deeper feelings for her and probably never would have. At that moment, he had felt like a traitor and a coward for saying it, but every time he had thought about continuing dating Allison, a voice inside him had said that it wouldn't work. "Think of the worst," the voice had said, and he had known that in time it would probably become unbearable to be with Allison who was too different. He needed someone else. She needed someone else.

To Andrew's surprise, Allison had taken the news surprisingly well, laughing about it, and had asked if they could still be friends because she didn't have any other friends. Andrew had said yes, and he later found that he had actually meant it. They could be friends. That would be nice, just as long as he didn't tell his friends about her. It was unlikely that they would understand.

Now, as he was thinking about Allison and his friends, Andrew walked towards Claire to chat with her for a moment when he suddenly stopped. Bender had appeared from somewhere and walked down to Claire, stopping in front of her. Claire looked at him, raising her brows and then looking right and left at her friends. Andrew could see her putting on her ice queen face. He couldn't make out the words exactly, and Bender was standing with his back towards Andrew so he couldn't even read from his lips, but he witnessed the reply which was a sneer from Claire followed by high-pitched laughter from her friends. Bender pointed his index finger at her, as if saying, "Don't you start with me."

Claire said something, still sneering at Bender, and he turned around, shouting, "Fuck you!" that echoed through the corridor. In a few seconds, he was gone.

For a while Andrew stood there, but then he continued on his way. He walked past Claire, but didn't say anything to her, only looked at her accusingly. "I couldn't," Claire's eyes said, but Andrew didn't feel it was reason enough. He didn't walk to his locker. Instead, he ran after Bender. He had to do something. He saw what Claire had done to Bender, and he realized he had done almost the same thing to Allison the day before. He didn't really like what he saw.

"Hey, wait up!" Andrew shouted at Bender who wasn't showing any signs of stopping. There were people -- students and a few teachers -- in Andrew's way, and it took him forever to get past them. For a while he lost the sight of Bender and almost stopped, but then he heard a dull thump, as if something hitting the wall, and he ran towards the sound. He turned left in the corner, and finally saw Bender there, a few feet away from him.

As Andrew caught Bender, he put his hand on Bender's shoulder and turned him around, but Bender tore himself away. "What?" he asked. The tone of his voice was short and simple, but there was more than just a hint of irritation in it. Andrew looked at him silently for a while. "I'm sorry but I don't do autographs for fans or groupies," Bender continued dryly. "May I go now?" he asked, and turned around to leave.

"Sorry about Claire," Andrew finally said.

Bender turned around with a crooked smile on his face. "What makes you think I give a damn?"

"I don't know. Maybe you liked her," Andrew replied.

"Maybe I didn't. Maybe I just liked to play with her. But you know how it is; once a tease, always a tease. That woman has some serious issues with intimacy. I wouldn't be at all surprised if she really was frigid."

This time Bender turned around and really did start to walk away, until Andrew ran after him, turning him around and grabbing him by the collar and pushing him against the wall.

"What?" Bender said, amused. "Did I offend your delicate little mind?" A smile spread on his face as Andrew was still holding him against the wall. "Ah, now I get it. I hit you in a weak spot. Allison isn't putting out. You poor boy, it must be hard."

"You're one sad case, did you know that?" Andrew said, unaffected by the supposed insults.

"If that's the way you think, then do tell me then why you insisted upon stopping me. Surely you had more on your mind than praising how wonderful your sex life is opposed to mine? Or was it revenge for the coke?"

Andrew let go of the collar and took a step back. Bender started readjusting the shirt.

"You know what?" Andrew said after a while. "I'm just going to go now and pretend I didn't even try to be nice to you. You like that? Great." He turned to leave, but he only managed to take a few steps before Bender shouted, "Wait." Andrew stopped.

"Thanks," Bender said. "For the coke, that is."

Andrew knew the thanks had only very little to do with the soda can, but he didn't say anything. They both walked in their own directions -- Bender to wherever he had been going to, and Andrew back to the lockers. He had a class in ten minutes and he didn't want to be late. Although, at that moment, school was possibly the last thing on his mind.

* * *

It was early Wednesday evening, and Andrew was getting dressed after his wrestling practice. The other guys were talking about some party coming up on Friday, and Andrew tried his best to take part in the conversation, although most of his thoughts were on other people -- Claire, Allison, Bender, even Brian. He wasn't happy, but it wasn't anyone's fault. It was just how things were.

He put on his jacket, said goodbye to his friends, and headed out through the door. He walked down the corridor, looking at the locked doors as he passed by. It was strange how the whole building seemed different now when there weren't any people around. Everyone was home already, watching television or reading books, or hanging out with friends. When Andrew finally stepped outside, Allison was there, waiting for him.

"Hey," he said, and she replied with a smile. Without a word, they started walking in the same direction, but there was a space between them. They weren't holding hands anymore because they were just friends. They no longer cuddled and kissed. In a strange way, Andrew missed that. It had been nice to have at least someone.

Now they were walking down the street. They were talking to each other about their things, like they always did. The difference was that these days it was no longer about Andrew and Allison but Andrew, Allison and other people.

"I've thought about this friend thing," Allison said to him. "I'm glad you dumped me." The tone of her voice sounded friendly but the words in themselves were harsh. Andrew wasn't sure what to expect, so he waited. "I want you to meet someone," she continued, and she was smiling. "His name is Danny and we're going on a date on Friday. I want you to be there."

Andrew agreed to go, but in the back of his mind he was wondering if Danny was good enough for Allison. The thought amused him because he had been the one to dump her, so he was the last person on earth to have any kind of say in the matter. He would form his opinion on Friday. For now, it would be best to encourage her. She seemed happy, and he trusted her judgment skills.

"So, how was practice?" Allison asked, changing the topic.

"Fine," he replied. For a couple of minutes, they walked in silence.

"What's wrong?" she finally asked, and Andrew woke up from his thoughts.

"What? Nothing," he said. "I was just thinking about Bender and Claire. You know anything about them? I mean, are they together or something?" Allison looked down on the ground, and put her hands in the pockets of her duffel coat.

"What?" he asked, and she looked at him, but she didn't speak. "What is it?" he finally said, stopping. She bit her lip, but finally spoke up.

"Yes and no."

"What do you mean?"

"They were together. I think. They broke up, or at least that's the impression I got when I heard her talking to her friends. Of course she didn't say it was Bender but some Jeremy guy, but you don't have to be a rocket scientist to see she was lying."

"When did they break up?"

Andrew was eager to hear the answer, but he was hoping Allison wouldn't see just how eager. Or why he was eager. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know himself.

"A few days ago, I guess. I'd put my bets on Claire breaking up with Bender. I mean, have you seen those two lately? Claire's back to being the cold princess and I think Bender's trying to get her back. But, you know, I haven't talked to them so it's not like I know."

It made sense. The moment in the corridor a couple of days ago. Bender being hurt by Claire's refusal to even acknowledge she knew him. But as much as Andrew wanted to dislike Claire for what she had done, he couldn't. He understood her. He only had to think about Allison, and how he couldn't see himself with her in a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship because they were too different. Claire did just what she was expected to do, as did Andrew. It was selfish and superficial, but that's just how things were.

Then again, maybe it was a good thing. Bender deserved something better. Someone who could appreciate him despite how other people perceive him. Maybe Claire just wasn't the right person.

"I'm sure they'll both get over it," he said to Allison, and they continued on their way. He didn't want to think about Bender. He started to ask Allison about Danny and how they had met and where, and in a few minutes Allison and Danny were the only people on his mind.

* * *

It was Thursday, and Andrew was sitting in the chemistry lab, trying to listen to the teacher. Brian was sitting in the front row doing a much better job at it. He honestly seemed eager to hear more, and he was writing notes.

Andrew looked to his right, and he saw Claire and her friend whispering to each other about something, and laughing not so quietly. He turned to look to his left, and there was Allison, biting her thumbnail and looking outside the window. He didn't have to turn around to know that Bender was sitting three rows behind him. At least he had come to school.

The bell rang, and people started flowing towards the door, Andrew among them. When he got out, he saw Brian, and said hi to him. Brian answered, clearly surprised, and they exchanged a few words. It was strange to see how enthusiastic Brian suddenly was, just because Andrew was speaking to him. At that moment, Andrew made a decision to talk to him more often. After all, why shouldn't he? They had made a promise during the detention, and so far he had been lousy at keeping his promise. He would do better in the future.

As they were chatting, Bender walked past them, and without evening turning to look at them, he said hello and walked away. Brian looked after him, and Andrew followed his example, but they didn't say anything. "Well, I have to get going," Andrew finally said, and they parted. Andrew walked after Bender. He didn't really know why but he wanted to.

When he reached the stairs, Bender was sitting on one of the steps. "Took you long enough," Bender said, getting up.

"You were waiting for me? Why?" Andrew asked, but Bender didn't answer, so he repeated his condolences for what had happened with Claire. They had never really finished the Claire conversation with Bender. "I know it was her fault," he said, hoping it would somehow make Bender feel a bit better. Weird. He didn't use to care what that juvenile delinquent felt, or if he felt anything at all.

"Whatever, man. I don't care for her kind, anyway. They demand too much. Diamonds, pearls, fancy dinners, talking, talking, talking, relationship this, relationship that, blah, blah, blah."

Andrew didn't know what to say to that, so he said he had to get going to the next class. "You coming?" he asked, and it felt nice to be friendly for a while. In the back of his head he could hear the voices of his friends laughing at him, and he could see them staring at him, wondering why he should be so friendly towards scum like Bender. But none of his friends were there now, so it didn't really matter what they would say. Besides, he was allowed to make his own decisions and own mistakes. He had had enough of making other people's mistakes, like the taping thing a few weeks earlier. God, he had been stupid.

"Nah," Bender said. "I've already been to three classes today. That's more than enough."

"Well, I'm going," Andrew said, and took a couple of steps. "I'll see you," he said, and walked upstairs.

Andrew was already stepping inside the classroom when he heard someone running behind him. His initial reaction was to turn around to look and see who was so stupid as to actually run down the corridor. When he turned to look at the person, he saw it was Bender who was running towards him. He had a small smile on his face, but it wasn't really a friendly smile. Mischievous was more like it.

"Want to do something different for a change?" Bender asked, and Andrew nodded before thinking what he was actually doing. "Come on, let's get out of here," Bender said, walking backwards, his arms wide, motioning Andrew to follow him. "You don't really want to go there, do you?" he continued, and made an exaggeratedly sad face. "Please. I'll feel hurt otherwise." Andrew cast a final glance at the classroom where he was supposed to be sitting, and turned to go with Bender.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"You'll see," was the only reply he got.

Together they ran through the corridors and down the stairs, until they were standing by the door to the gym. Bender took his knife and opened the door. They stepped inside, and for a moment they stood there, in the doorway. "You want to play something?" Andrew finally asked disbelievingly.

"I guess you could say that," Bender answered, and locked the door behind them.

"Why is this more important than attending the class?" Andrew asked, but Bender didn't answer. "Bender, I'm talking to you."

At that, Bender turned around, laughing. "It's John. And it's more important because I say so."

Andrew looked around; at the ceiling up above them, and the high walls around them. There was a mattress nearby, standing against the wall. He looked at the basketball hoop and the lonely ball on the floor below it where someone had forgotten it. He walked to it, picked it up, and started throwing hoops for fun. His eyes caught the door and he finally realized Bender had just locked it. "Why did you lock the door?" he asked, and threw the ball into the wall so hard it bounced past him and finally rolled almost to the other end of the gym.

"I don't want any outsiders here," Bender said in short.

"Why? What are you going to do?" Suddenly Andrew was certain that at any moment now Bender would take out a knife from his pocket and do something to him. "Get serious," he tried to tell himself. "He wouldn't do that. He's a show-off."

It didn't help much.

Bender walked to him, stopping less than one foot away from him. Andrew swallowed, and prepared himself for the click of the knife, but the click didn't come. Instead, Bender kissed him. Andrew's first reaction was shock, and he bit Bender on the lower lip, and then tore himself away.

"What the fuck you think you're doing?" he yelled at Bender, who seemed uncertain for a moment, wiping the trickles of blood from his lip, frowning. Okay, so Andrew could see that shock wasn't the reaction Bender had been waiting for. What then? You don't just go and kiss people like that, let alone people you hardly know. Or like, for that matter.

"What do you mean, `What am I doing?'" Bender said finally. "Having fun. All that touching you do in wrestling is so not straight, and we both know that. I thought I'd ask for my share." He started smiling. "Come on, you know you want to."

"Jesus Christ, Bender! I thought it was a joke. I'm not some fucking faggot."

"It's John, not Bender. And fine, don't be. But I know you want me."

Andrew stared at Bender. "I'm out of here," he finally said and started to walk towards the door, but Bender was there before him, stopping him. "Let me go," Andrew said, and tried to push Bender aside, but Bender was strong, and his hands were soon around Andrew's waist. But Andrew wouldn't have been a good wrestler if he hadn't know how to snake out of that grip, so soon Bender was lying on the ground on his stomach, and Andrew was holding him there in a tight grip.

"I'd applaud if my hands were free," Bender laughed, and Andrew let him go.

"You're sick, you know that?" Andrew said and opened the lock.

Bender rolled onto his back. "Maybe I am, but I bet you love me for it," he said, and Andrew stopped.

"Come again? Just what exactly makes you think I'm gay or that I like you? No, let me guess. It was the fact that I didn't kick your ass for the stupid jokes during the detention. Or, now that I think of it, maybe it's all because things didn't work out for me and Allison, and you instantly came to the conclusion that hey, maybe that Clark guy is actually gay when he can't hold a woman. Or was it something else? Come on, I'm all ears."

Bender stood up and came close to him, behind him, and put his arms around Andrew's waist, leaning his chin against Andrew's shoulder. He let his hand slide on Andrew's crotch. "I think this is all the explanation we need," he said, and Andrew knew he had been caught. "Now, wouldn't it be best if you just shut up and locked the door, or are you one of those sick pervs who enjoy getting caught" Andrew didn't answer, but he did lock the door. "Mmm," came Bender's reply, and he turned Andrew around, fingers on the waistband of Andrew's jeans. Andrew had to raise his chin a bit so he could look Bender in the eyes. "I'll take that as no," Bender said. "That's good. Voyeurism isn't really my kink, either."

"You're crazy, you know that?" Andrew said, trying to ease his sudden nervousness. The whole situation felt so surreal he was sure he would wake up at any moment.

"Yeah," Bender said, and he kissed Andrew again, but this time Andrew didn't push him away. It felt strange to be kissed by Bender. Or John, as Bender wanted himself to be called. But Andrew couldn't bring himself to think of Bender as anyone else but Bender, because his name was Bender, not John. John was the name of a person without personality, a regular John Doe, and Bender was nothing like those people because he did actually have a personality, and Andrew found himself frighteningly fond of that personality, no matter how he had tried to make himself think otherwise.

But now, now it didn't matter what Andrew wanted to call Bender, because what he really had to do was to not be as stiff and nervous as he was, because Bender was kissing him, and if Andrew soon didn't start kissing him back, Bender would probably stop and tell Andrew to go away because he was getting bored, and that was the last thing Andrew wanted now when he was finally where he had probably wanted to be all along. He just hadn't really known it before it had happened. Weird, that.

So he kissed Bender back, and it didn't feel like kissing a girl, because Bender wasn't a girl. And when Andrew pressed Bender against the door and when he pressed himself against Bender, it didn't feel like pressing up against a girl because he could get close to him -- so close that it felt unreal, because with a girl he could never get quite so close because their breasts were always in the way, and as nice as they could sometimes be, it felt so much nicer to be greeted by a hardened cock pressing against his own hardened cock than it was to be greeted by a pair of breasts.

And so he pressed himself closer, and when he was still kissing Bender, the coppery aftertaste of the blood in his mouth, his hands were already tearing off Bender's leather coat, dropping it on the floor. He fumbled at the buckle of the belt. He couldn't get it to open, so he stopped kissing so he could tilt his head to look at it, and when he stopped kissing and opened his eyes he realized he was actually looking at Bender, and not someone else. John Bender. The criminal. The one making gay jokes about wrestling and tights. The one who had had dozens of girlfriends and kept photos of them in his wallet. The one who was so far from being gay that he simply had to be gay because nobody could possibly be so straight.

"What the fuck are we doing?" he had to ask, and it sounded odd to hear his own voice echoing in the large hall after silence.

"Exactly that," Bender said, opening the buckle himself and then continuing onto Andrew's coat and taking it off. "Take the shirt off," he said, and Andrew did as he was told. While he was pulling the white t-shirt off, Bender unbuttoned his own shirt. Then he continued onto Andrew's jeans and opened them.

"You want to do it against the wall, against the mattress, or do you want something else? I'm sure it can be arranged," Bender asked, and inclined his head towards the mattress a few yards away from them.

Andrew laughed. "You have any idea how unreal this is?" he said.

Bender laughed. "But you like it," he said, feigning serious. "Don't you, Andy boy?"

Andrew pushed him against the wall, his fingers tightly around Bender's wrists, the hands high above Bender's head. Bender was leaning his forehead against the wall. "It's Andrew, not Andy," Andrew said, and Bender sighed. "What. Ever."

Andrew heard the little smile, even when he knew Bender was aiming for sarcasm. "Are we going to do something? Like, today?" Bender continued. "Not that I don't like this position, but it's getting kind of boring."

Andrew had never done it. It. The sex with a guy thing. Not really. Not like this. A few tugs and pulls and strange looks in the shower after rehearsals, but nothing beyond that, and he had never gone all the way. He wasn't going to let Bender know that, so he pushed his hand inside Bender's jeans, and he grabbed his cock, and he pulled at it, and as he felt the vibrations of Bender's moan against his chest, he pressed the guy harder against the wall.

But Bender was quick, and turned around, and soon they were face to face again. Bender took Andrew by his right wrist and, walking backwards, started pulling him towards the mattress. "You know what? I think we'll take the mattress. That is, if you don't mind?" he said, and Andrew, as much as he had doubts about doing everything right, couldn't really say no. It seemed Bender knew what he was doing, and that would probably be enough. At least Andrew was hoping it would be.

With the right hand, the one that was not grasping at Andrew's wrist, Bender shoved the mattress over, and there came a sharp smack as it hit the floor.

"Oh yeah," Bender said. "Much, much better." He pushed Andrew onto the mattress, and Andrew found himself half-sitting on the edge, leaning his elbows against the mattress, and Bender was half-lying between his legs, his hands on either side of Andrew. Their faces were only a few inches apart. "My, my. Isn't this nice?" Bender laughed, and he let his full weight press Andrew against the mattress as he kissed him, his tongue sliding along the lips, tasting them. Andrew closed his eyes.

"Mmhm, looks like you're bottoming," Bender said in a rough whisper.

Andrew opened his eyes, frowning. "No way." Domineering or not, Bender was not going to make him the girl.

"What, then? I'm open for suggestions?" Bender asked with a smirk on his face. He went down along Andrew's chest, kissing it, kissing the stomach, and looking up at Andrew whose breathing had become fast and heavy. "A handjob, maybe?" Bender said, sliding his hand inside Andrew's already tight jeans. "Or," Bender said, taking the hand away, getting a frustrated grunt from Andrew, "a blowjob, perhaps?" He started yanking at the jeans, inch by inch, until the jeans were off. He threw them somewhere behind him. "Which one is it? Or you want something completely different?" He gave the tip of his cock a careful lick. "You don't look like you have all day."

Andrew swallowed hard. "I--" he began, but his voice broke.

Bender slid back up. "Yeah? You can tell me. It's not like I'm going to laugh or anything, considering my own situation."

Andrew tried again. "Could we just, you know... well, you know." He didn't know how to finish it without sounding like an idiot.

"No, I don't know. You have to tell me." Bender kissed him again. "Okay, let's try something else, shall we? Just say yes or no. Can you do that?" Andrew looked at him, and he wanted to feel embarrassed, but as he was lying there naked under John Bender who was half-naked himself, it felt kind of useless. If anything, he felt nervous. He nodded.

"Good. Now we're getting somewhere." Bender pressed his hips against Andrew's, and they both let out an involuntary gasp, and Bender bit his already broken lip. He continued to rock lightly, and Andrew put his hands on Bender's hips, pulling the jeans down, until skin was touching skin, and Bender pressed himself against Andrew so hard Andrew thought he would come at any second.

"You know what?" Andrew whispered to Bender, whose eyes were now closed. He was smiling. "This seems pretty nice to me," he finished, and Bender nodded. Andrew slid his fingers along Bender's bare sides, let his hands rest against the back of Bender's head, fingers buried in the hair, and pushed himself up so that he could kiss him.

The rocking, slow and paced at first, soon became irregular, frantic even, and the moans became loud groans, and finally Andrew let out a sharp cry, and in a few seconds Bender pressed hard against him and Andrew could feel his whole weight on him. He tugged at the hair gently, brushing it behind Bender's ears so he could see his face. "You? Are crazy. Without a doubt the craziest man I've ever known," he said.

Bender grinned at him. "I bet you like it."

Andrew couldn't really disagree with that. Bender rolled onto his back, and they lay on the mattress, staring at the ceiling. "This definitely beats history," Andrew finally said.

Bender turned his head to look at him. "Say what?" he said, frowning.

"The class. I'm supposed to have history right now. School, remember?"

"School is overrated," Bender said. "You learn more about life outside school."

Andrew laughed. "Like the joys of gay sex?"

Bender started to laugh with him. "You complaining?"

Andrew looked at him. "No. But it's damn cold in here." He sat up, picked up his jeans and put them on. "Next time we do it somewhere else."

Bender raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah, really," he said, sitting on the mattress, next to Bender. And, to his surprise, he meant it. "Come on, we have to get going."

Together, they got up and got dressed, and walked out the gym to the corridor. People were still in classrooms when the two of them walked outside. Allison was standing there, and Andrew looked at her, surprised. "Hey," she said to the both of them. Bender greeted her with a slight bow and started walking away.

"I'll see you later," Andrew shouted to him before asking Allison why she was there.

"School is so overrated. I thought I'd skip it for a change. You?"

Andrew smiled. He didn't feel like telling the truth. He would tell it eventually, but not right now. "Nothing special. Saw Bender, talked to him. Same old. You want a cup of coffee?"

"Yeah," Allison said, smiling back at him. "Sounds good."

* * *

It was Friday, and Andrew was walking down the hall to his locker -- something he did every day. He saw Claire standing with her friends, waiting for the class to start. She noticed him, and smiled carefully at him, as if testing if he was still mad at her for what she had done to Bender the other day. Andrew smiled back, and her smile widened.

"Thanks for dumping him," Andrew's smile said, but she didn't know it. To her, it was just another smile between members of the same caste. Andrew walked past her and he saw Bender standing further away, leaning against the wall and looking amused. Andrew walked to him. He could feel Claire staring at them. For the first time since the detention, he didn't care.


End file.
